Paphos events

Following are the major annual events that take place in the Paphos district every year.

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Paphos Aphrodite Festival

Opera lovers should not miss the annual Paphos Aphrodite Festival that takes place in the coastal city each September. Every year the festival organizers invite a well-known opera troupe to the city to perform an opera. Past performances include Verdi’s “La Traviata” and “Aida”, Bizet’s “Carmen” and Puccini’s “Turandot”.

The Paphos Aphrodite Festival was organized for the first time in 1999, and since then has become one of the most popular events in Cyprus.

The perfect mood and environment for almost any opera performance is created by the very location of the Paphos Aphrodite Festival. The event takes place in the open air at the square in front of the medieval castle of Paphos.

For more information please call on 26 822 218

Cyprus Marathon

Cyprus Marathon takes place every March in the Paphos area. Professional and amateur runners from all over the world come to Cyprus to participate in this sporting event. It incorporates three different distances: the Marathon, Half Marathon and 10 km Road Race.

The starting point of the Cyprus Marathon is at Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, and it finishes with a long section of road on the Paphos seafront at the Paphos Medieval Castle square.

Cyprus Marathon is not only a well organized sporting event with excellent facilities for the runners. It also incorporates a number of activities, such as traditional Cypriot and Greek dancing, which make it a fun event for all the family and friends.

For more information please call on 22 370 396

Pharos International Chamber Music Festival

This annual event takes place in May and lasts for about one week. Each year guests of the festival enjoy the classical music performances given by the best world musicians.

Chamber concerts, recitals and a lecture series are given during the festival. Events take place in PASYDY Auditorium in Nicosia and in the Royal Manor House at Kouklia. It is worth mentioning that the Royal Manor House at Kouklia is one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture on the island and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located next toe the archeological site of Aphrodite’s Sanctuary.

International Chamber Music Festival is organized by Pharos Trust since 2000. It is supported by the Kouklia Community Council and the French Cultural Center.

For more information please call on 22 663 871

Apollon International Chamber Music Festival

The mission of the Apollon International Chamber Music Festival is to foster a greater appreciation of classical music in the Mediterranean region by presenting performances featuring world-class musicians in beautiful surroundings, while emphasizing the development of a broad based, sustainable audience through education.

The festival is organized every November.

Paradise Jazz Festival

Paradise Jazz Festival takes place every year in the Paphos district in September. In 2007 the festival changed its usual location in Pomos and moved to the center of Polis Chrysohous. It was done with a purpose of expanding the festival, attracting more people and receiving better funding.

The Paradise Jazz Festival was founded in 1999 by David Locke and Socratis, the owner of the Paradise Place bar and restaurant near Pomos. The aim of the festival is to bring the best of London’s young jazz musicians to Cyprus to perform in a relaxed and inspirational location.

Dionysia Festival

Every year in the end of hot summer Stroumbi village of the Paphos district holds a festival in honor of Dionysus, the famed Greek god of wine. Therefore, Dionysia Festival is a celebration of the island’s great wines.

First time Dionysia Festival was organized in 1967 when a group of people from the community established the “Dance of the Grape”, which took place in the village square and lasted for one day. Later the event took the form of a three-day festival and grew over the years into one of the biggest and most important events of its kind in the country.

The program of the Dionysia includes many wine exhibits, traditional Cypriot and foreign dances and songs, games, local arts, crafts, fruits, vine-produce and flowers displays. Throughout the duration of the festival plenty of grapes and palouze (must jelly) are offered for free. On the last night of the festival, a “Star Dionysia” and a “Miss Grape” are voted after a dance contest.

For more information please call on 26 633 109

Choir Festival

Choir Festival is organized in Paphos every June. The program of the event features performances of the choirs from all over Cyprus and several overseas groups. The festival takes place in the Ancient Odeon in Kato Paphos that makes for an incredible setting for the performances.

Agia Paraskevi Traditional Fair

Although Agia Paraskevi’s Day is celebrated in all cities and villages of the island with religious services held in the churches, Paphos goes one step further and combines religious events with a traditional fair.

The program of the Agia Paraskevi Traditional Fair includes performances, entertainment and traditional kiosks selling food, drink and handicrafts.

Arkadia Festival

In August visit the village of Kallepeia in the Paphos region that comes alive for the annual Arkadia Festival. This event celebrates the beauty of the area and is a great day for all the family.

Foreigners join locals to experience traditional Cypriot hospitality at the Arkadia Festival that includes live music, traditional dancing and great food for which the region is famous.